


Moving On

by rubberglue



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-08
Updated: 2012-04-08
Packaged: 2017-11-03 06:12:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/378193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberglue/pseuds/rubberglue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Queen Annis moves on with her life after the death of her husband. Basically PWP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moving On

For months after Caerleon’s death, whenever she passed a judgement or made a decision on a petition, Annis would turn to her right, expecting to hear his voice affirming her decision or suggesting a different perspective. In the night, when she crawled into bed, she would reach across the bed, expecting to feel his hard, warm body. When she heard the castle gates open and the hooves of the royal horses clattering against the stone ground, she would stand at the ramparts, expecting to catch a glimpse of him. He was never there but she did it anyway.

And then one day, she didn’t.

***

Spring arrived with little fanfare and Annis was in the midst of reviewing their grain and wheat levels after a particularly harsh winter. Looking at the dwindling numbers on the parchment, she sighed. Hopefully, the return of spring would mark a new beginning for her kingdom and they would be able to emerge from the shadow of their king’s death a year ago. Guilt pinched her. She hadn’t thought of her husband in days. Her fingers curled around his wedding ring that hung from a chain around her neck and she said a quick prayer to him.

“Mother!” The door to her chambers swung open and Arabella, her eldest, darted into the room. “Mother! Look what I found!”

Behind her, Ryn, Arabella’s personal guard, followed. A flush on his cheeks, he bowed before speaking. “I am sorry your highness. I was unable to stop her from barging in.”

Arabella spun around and stuck her tongue out at Ryn. “That’s because you’re slow!”

Annis chuckled, her worries from earlier forgotten as she crossed over to her daughter. “Now, you cannot be rude to others. A princess is never rude. Apologise to him at once.”

Scuffing her right shoe into the ground, Arabella looked down and mumbled an apology. Annis watched as Ryn knelt in front of her daughter and tilted her chin up. “You’re forgiven your highness.”

He stood up and Annis couldn’t help but notice how the muscles in his thighs moved as he did so. Clearing her throat when she realised she was staring, Annis said, “You may wait for us outside.”

“Of course, your highness.” Turning, he walked to the door, her eyes following his every step. She had always been aware that Ryn was well-built - her maidservants had no qualms telling her about him - but today was the first time she really noticed it. She must be feeling lonely.

“Mother! Look!” And for the next hour, Annis devoted her time and attention to her young daughter. It was a treasured moment in time that she was just a mother and not the ruler of a kingdom.

***

“I always thought he would marry one of the several princesses around,” mused Annis, as she glanced at the wedding invitation from the King of Camelot. It both worried and impressed her that the young king would choose to marry a servant. She hoped this servant had the intelligence and courage needed to be a queen. It would do no good for any of the kingdoms in Albion to have a weak Queen in Camelot.

“Will you attend?” Lord William asked. “The timing is unfortunate. Most of your key knights are away.”

Annis frowned at William. Did he think she had forgotten that she has sent the knights out to check on rumours that a flying beast was terrorising the outlying villages? “Not all the knights are away. And the route to Camelot is relatively safe. I wish to see the girl the King has decided to marry.”

She left it up to the commander of the knights, Sir Owain, to arrange for her passage to Camelot. Thus, as she prepared to ride out, she was surprised to see Ryn amongst her entourage. He was not a knight and rarely escorted.

“He volunteered. He’s a good fighter and smart too. With him, I could leave more knights in the castle for her security. Arabella will be looked after well in his absence.”

Annis nodded. From what she knew of him, Ryn was a loyal and dependable guard. He was a bit young and inexperienced but Sir Owain only ever had praise for him. It shouldn’t matter too much that he was not a knight. She doubted that this trip to Camelot would be very eventful at any rate.

“Let us head out then.” The knights flanked her while Ryn rode at the back as they made their way out of the castle gates towards Camelot.

***

As she predicted, the ride to Camelot was uneventful.

Meeting King Arthur again was awkward. She couldn’t deny that looking at the man who killed her husband was painful and it was obvious that he still carried the guilt with him. But it was the beginning of a new time and Annis was determined to move on from the tragedy.

The wedding was lovely and so was the bride, Guinevere. It was clear to see how much the young couple adored each other and it brought back memories of her own marriage to Caerleon. Unlike Arthur and Guinevere, they were not a love match but over the years, they had grown to care deeply for and depend on each other.

“She used to be a servant?” Annis enquired quietly when she had a chance to speak with the King in private.

King Arthur tensed, as if expecting criticism. “Yes but that has nothing to do with her qualities as Queen. She’s loyal, smart and brave and she knows the people well.”

Annis smiled at the King’s quick defense of his wife. “I’m sure she’ll make a good Queen.”

“She will. Thank you for taking the time to celebrate this with us.”

“It’s been my pleasure, Arthur. I am glad that I have not misjudged you.”

***

The first day of the ride back home was just as uneventful. As she cantered along the well-worn path, again flanked by her knights, she thought about Camelot and how, being the largest kingdom it would shape the future of Albion. With the King’s growing disregard of class - she had noticed that some of his knights were mere commoners, perhaps it would be something that would spread through the lands. Her eyes settled on Ryn, sitting tall and proud on his horse, riding it as if they were one. With her face hidden by the cloak she was wearing, she allowed herself the indulgence of watching the way his body moved with the horse, the undulation of his muscles in his legs and arms. She could feel her face burn and she looked away.

Still chiding herself for taking such a foolish interest in her daughter’s personal guard, Annis was taken by surprise when a group of bandits sprung out and attacked them. She drew her sword and dismounted her spooked horse. It was a good thing she kept up her sword training, she thought as she quickly slid her sword into the belly of one of the bandits before turning around.

Someone disarmed her from behind and panic rose in her. If she perished here, what would happen to her daughter? Her kingdom? A strong arm grabbed her around her waist, another hand across her mouth and pulled her away. She couldn’t scream so she did the next best thing. She bit her assailant’s palm.

“Shh, it’s me Ryn. We need to go, your highness.” He practically dragged her into the woods, away from where the main fighting was taking place.

The moment he loosened his grip on her, Annis turned on him and snarled, “What do you think you are doing? We have to get back there.”

As she turned, he grabbed her again. “I apologise for my actions but I cannot let you go out there again, your highness.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” She shook off his hold and marched back to the road.

“You will die! And I cannot let that happen your highness! Your kingdom needs you. The princess needs you.”

His words stop her in her tracks. Ryn is right. With great reluctance, she turned back to him. “They will come after us. We need to keep moving.”

Passing her the sword he took off her earlier, Ryn nodded and in silence, they tracked further into the woods.

***

The fire burned brightly in the darkness of the cave. They had decided it would be too dangerous to return to see if any of the knights had survived. As darkness descended, they resigned themselves to the fact that they would have to spend the night in the woods.

“We should look for shelter. There should be some caves in the vicinity. We can make camp there your highness.” Ryn scanned the area, his body tensed, his hand tightly gripping his sword.

Annis agreed and after much searching, they found a relatively dry, empty cave that would serve their needs well. With practised ease, Ryn made a fire and they settled down across the fire from each other, each avoiding eye contact with the other, a strange tension in the air.

After a few awkward minutes, Ryn excused himself, telling Annis he was going to get some water.

“I won’t be long,” he said as he walked out of the cave. Like she had been doing over the past few days, she watched him. The moment he left, she curled her hand around her sword, prepared for anyone or anything that might be a threat.

Ryn took a while, much longer than she anticipated and she started to worry. Had he been attacked by the bandits? Were they approaching? The fire was too obvious and she put it out and huddled in a corner of the cave, pulling her furs around her. With the darkness came the cold and without the fire, she was freezing.

She tensed when she heard footsteps and readied her sword. When the footsteps approached, she lunged at the figure.

“It’s me, your highness.” The figure grunted as it stepped backwards, away from her sword.

“Sorry Ryn. I thought it might have been someone else.”

Ryn said nothing for a while. Finally he choked out, “You know my name.”

“Of course I do. You are my daughter’s personal guard. And now it seems you are my savior as well.”

She could hear Ryn settled down in the cave a distance from her. “I just happened to be the one closest to you, your highness. Shall I light a fire?”

“Yes, it’s getting cold. We might freeze without a fire.”

In silence, Ryn worked to relight the fire. It didn’t go as smoothly as before but finally, the fire flared in the darkness. It was then she noticed the blood on his armour.

“You’re hurt!” Instinctively, Annis moved towards him.

Ryn stiffened. “It is nothing your highness. Just a scratch when I ran into some of the bandits.”

“Take off your armour.” Annis pulled at the edge of her tunic, tearing off a strip of cloth.

“What are you doing your highness?”

“We are going to dress your wound, that’s what.” Annis answered sternly. She had no intention of engaging in a long discussion with Ryn about whether that was a good idea or not. He needed his wound dressed and that was what was going to happen.

He hesitated.

“It’s an order.”

"Yes, my lady." His voice took on a lower tone which made her toes curl. She knew she should not be staring but she couldn't stop herself. Surely he couldn't see her looking in the darkness of the cave.

The light from the fire flickered over Ryn, highlighting the way his chiseled body moved as he removed his armour and rendered the thin tunic he wore underneath almost transparent. For the first time in months, Annis felt the beginnings of desire build in her. When he pulled off his tunic and the fire only highlighted his muscles, she swallowed, uncertain why she was acting like someone inexperienced. Shaking her head to clear it, she stepped towards him, cloth in her hands.

He stepped back and she could see his adam apple bob in the firelight. “Thank you but I can dress my own wound, your highness.”

“It’s behind your arm. I can do it better and easier than you.”

“Is that another order your highness?”

She glared at him instead. “Sit down and turn your back to me.” Annoyance at his stubbornness and her own confusing feelings, she snapped angrily at him.

He obeyed immediately, sitting down in front of her. In silence, Annis quickly and efficiently wrapped his torso with the cloth torn her tunic. Ryn hissed when the cloth touched the wound but aside from that, sat stiffly, the tension in him obvious. It seemed to take forever but eventually the wound was bandaged and she withdrew her hands from his hard, warm body.

Shifting, he turned to look at her. Somehow, they were too close. His face was within touching distance and the tension that had started building the moment she laid her hands on him increased.

“Thank you,” he rasped. She could feel his breath against her cheek and the hairs on her arm stood up. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and elsewhere. She swayed closer and her hand, moving of it’s own volition, reached up to touch the plains of his face. The fire was reflected in his eyes and she watched as they darkened. His long fingers curled around her wrist and held her hand to his cheek.

“Your highness.” His voice was rougher and he must have moved closer because Annis was sure she felt his lips move against her skin. She turned slightly and the next thing she knew, she was wrapped in his arms and his lips were on hers, kissing her desperately. She did the what she had been thinking of for a while - she kissed him back.

Somehow they ended up lying on the damp ground, her fur cloak cast aside, their bodies tangled together, kissing. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, his hands running up and down her back. Her own hands are tangled in his brown hair and there’s something about kissing this young guard that makes her feel more alive than she has ever felt before.

Her brain kicked back into gear and she pulled away as much as she could with his arms still around her.

“We need to stop. This is completely inappropriate.” His hold on her loosened and she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. But it was inappropriate. She was Queen. He was a lowly guard. Added to that, he was at least 10 years younger.

“I apologise for my actions, your highness.” He sat up and pushed himself away from her. His eyes didn’t meet hers and perhaps it was the fire playing tricks on her but there was a flush on his cheeks. “It was inappropriate and if you feel that you need to relieve me of my duties -”

“It takes two to clap. We are just under a lot of stress. Let us forget it even happened.” Her body was still on fire and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to forget what it felt like to have him under her.

He said nothing and stared into the fire. For a long while, they sat like that, trying to ignore the desire and the tension that had settled in the air between them. Annis pulled on her fur cloak.

“We should get some sleep. We can take turns keeping watch. I will go first.”

“With all respect, your highness, you should rest. I will keep watch. It is my duty.” He sounded angry and that irked Annis. How dare he be angry with her?

“You should watch your tone, Ryn. And there is no use you being exhausted tomorrow. We have more than half day’s journey left and that is if we can find our horses.”

Again, he said nothing. Her temper rose. “What right do you have to be angry?”

“I am not angry with you, your highness. I am angry with myself. For not knowing my place, for treating you in that manner.”

His words annoyed her. “In what manner? Like I am a desirable woman? Believe me Ryn, I know I am far from desirable.”

That only seemed to anger him more. “That is complete nonsense and you know it. You are an extremely attractive woman and if you weren’t my Queen -” Then, as if he remembered who he was speaking to, he stopped talking, mumbling an apology.

Maybe it was his words, maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t had anyone in her bed since her husband died, whatever it was, she moved towards Ryn and kissed him. He hesitated for a bit before returning the kiss and burying his hands in her hair.

“Ryn,” she moaned his name as he ran his hands down and pulled off her cloak.

“Your highness,” he whispered before he pressed kisses all over her face, moving lower to suckle gently at her neck. As he did so, he lowered himself to the ground and Annis found herself, once again, lying on top of him, except this time, she allowed herself to enjoy the feel of him under her as she ran her hands along his torso, gentling as they passed his temporary bandage.

Soon, kissing was no longer enough. Annis wanted more from Ryn but he seemed quite content to alternate between kissing her and suckling her neck. Pulling away from him, she stood and undid her dress, letting it drop to her feet. For a moment, nerves attacked her but used to hiding her fears, she pulled herself up straight. Ryn sat on his knees and stared up at her. The fire lit his face and she could see the desire written all over it. A thrill ran through her as she waited to see what Ryn would do.

He placed his hands on her hips and then pressed an open-mouthed kiss on her stomach. Annis quivered, wondering how long her legs would hold up. Her hands dug into his hair as he continued to lick and kiss her stomach, his hands stroking the back of her thighs. Finally, he moved lower to where she was throbbing with desire. When his tongue licked her, dipping into her folds, she couldn’t help the scream that tore from her throat.

“Please, Ryn.” Only his arms were holding her up, her legs trembling under his ministrations. He continued to lick at her, occasionally suckling at her clit. It was obvious that Ryn was no innocent and Annis was thankful for that. One hand moved from her waist to her clit, rubbing it as he increased his speed. The feeling started from her core and radiated to the rest of her body. She gasped and moaned, letting the intense waves of her orgasm flood her body.

Annis slid down to the floor slowly. Ryn held her as she slid, kissing her from her stomach up to her breasts and finally her face.

“That,” sighed Annis, “was fantastic.”

“I am glad to be of service,” Ryn whispered in her ear as he nipped her earlobe. His hands found her breasts and he caressed them, pinching and pulling at her nipples.

Annis pushed him away and onto the floor again. “I think it’s my turn.”

“Of course, your highness.” The words were innocent but the tone was not. The fire was dying down and she could barely see his face but Annis was certain he was smiling. She couldn’t believe she was doing this - having sex with a guard in a cave - but she was and there was something freeing about it.

Straddling Ryn, Annis quickly untied his breeches, tugging them down. Lifting his hips, he helped her push them off. Even with the fire almost gone, she was able to see the lines of his body and her fingers traced them from his shoulder to his hip.

Ryn groaned as her fingers brushed against his length. He practically screamed when she lowered herself onto him, relishing the feel of his hard length stretching her and filling her. She had forgotten how much she missed such physical contact. She could feel his nails digging into her hips.

“Touch my breasts.” He obeyed, reaching out and squeezing her breasts. She groaned as he moulded them and started to move on him, slowly at first and then increasing in speed as he jerked his hips in response. Bracing her hands on the cold, hard floor, she rocked and rocked against him.

Ryn pulled her down to him, desperately kissing her, teasing her mouth open with his tongue. Annis pressed her body against his, enjoying the feel of her bare skin against his rough chest hair. Gasps and moans filled the cave as the two of them moved frantically against each other. Annis tensed. He moaned as he spilled in her and she followed quickly, pulsing against his length.

The moment she caught her breath, she disentangled herself from him. But he quickly pulled her close so that her back pressed against him. From somewhere, he produced her fur cloak and covered them with it. Annis wanted to say something, assert control over the situation but, sated as she was, sleep quickly overtook her.

***

Someone cleared his throat.

Annis struggled to open her eyes, slightly confused, wondering who was the warm body next to hers. The warm body shot up and grabbed his sword.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Sir Leon from Camelot. The king heard of the bandit attack from his patrols and sent us to find you. Perhaps we’ll wait for you outside the cave until you are ready. Then we will escort you back to your kingdom.”

Annis groaned and buried her face in her hands. What would Camelot think of her now? Ryn was completely dressed by the time she looked up. He had picked up her clothes and passed them to her. As she took them from him, their hands touched. “I regret nothing,” he whispered. “I will wait for you outside, your highness.” He touched her cheek before walking away.

***

“Mother! Look what Ryn made for me.” Arabella thrust a small wooden horse at Annis who cooed over it, as she was expected to. “I’m going to show it to Joseph and Lavia!” She announced before dashing out of the room. Annis shook her head. Arabella was always so full of energy.

She looked up and saw Ryn staring at her. When she caught his eye, he bowed slightly before leaving to catch up with her daughter. Something squeezed her heart as she watched him leave. They had not talked beyond the usual greetings since that night in the cave.

Annis walked out quickly. “Ryn.”

He turned and waited, his face blank.

“We need to talk. Arabella will be fine in the castle.”

Something crossed his face but she was not sure what. But he walked back into her room, hovering near the door.

“Close the door.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Ryn, what happened in the cave -”

“Your highness, if you are going to tell me to forget it, I won’t. It is not something I will ever forget. But I understand that it was a one off situation and that I should not read anything into it. Do not worry, your highness, I will keep this a secret.”

Annis looked at the young man in front of her, the young man who seemed to have some attraction to her. And she thought that perhaps this could be something more.

***

“I should go. Your maid will arrive soon.” Ryn kissed her as he slipped out of her bed and began dressing.

Annis watched him, an activity she found she enjoyed greatly.

“I thought you dealt with Old Man Harold’s thieving ways very well last evening by the way.” Leaning over, he brushed a kiss on her brow. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re reprimanding people.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Annis snapped as she sat up in bed. Ryn just smiled, used by now to her bluntness.

“I don’t care where I go as long as you are there, your highness.”

Annis sighed. Ryn was always such a sap, so unlike Caerleon. Yet there was something charming about it that she couldn’t deny.

“Go. You need to start work soon. Just because you sleep in my bed, doesn’t mean you can skirt your duties.”

“Of course your highness.” He bowed, liked he always did and left.

Annis allowed herself a smile.


End file.
